Gate or semaphore operating mechanism



' 2 Sheets Sheet- 1. J. W; STEELE. GATE 0R SEMAPHORE OPERATING MECHANISM.

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 30, 1890 (.No Model.)

J.- W. STEELE. 2 Shgets-Sheet 2. GATE 0R SEMAPHORE OPERATING MECHANISM. No. 443,729. Patented Dec. 30,1890.

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I In venondW f wm 25 @W NTTED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JAMES WV. STEELE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,729, dated December 30, 1890.

Application filed April 29, 1890. Serial No. 349,928. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES W. STEELE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate or Semaphore Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding letters of reference in the different figures designate like parts.

My invention relates to mechanism for operating railway and other safety gates, semaphores, or signals, my object being to provide means whereby a single impulse,

whether induced by hand, the movement of a train, or otherwise, may serve to actuate the gate or signal, while at the same time the shock to the gate or signal may be so cushioned by the operating mechanism itself that it will not be injured thereby, the signal itself being free to move at a slower rate of speed than that of the primary impulse by which movement is communicated to it. A further object is to embody the principle above stated in a system of levers or analogous mechanism so thatasingle impulse given to a tripper by a passing train may initiate the movement of the signal, which movement, owing to a change of the relative position of the parts caused by the initial impulse, may continue automatically until the gate or semaphore is in a reverse position from that occupied at the time of giving said initial impulse, all of which may be accomplished in varying waysembodying a like principle, those which I prefer being hereinafter particularly described, and definitely specified in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l represents aside view, in vertical section, of a hollow case or standard, showing my improved gate-operating mechanism therein, one arm of the gate being shown beyond. Fig. 2 is a like sectional View taken in a plane at right angles thereto. Fig. 3 is a similar View to that in Fig. 1, showing the parts in a reverse position. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view in plan, taken upon the line a; 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side View of my improvement, showing the same connected with arailWay-track and semaphore, the casing or supportbeing shown idly secured to the casing.

in vertical section. Fig. 6 is a view of aportion of the same, taken at right angles thereto. Fig. 7 is a similar view to that shown in Fig. 5, representing a modification of a portion of said device. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing a modification of saidinvention. Fig. 9 is a detail view of certain of the parts, showing a still further modification; and Fig. 10 is a detail view showing a modified connection between the swinging bar and levers.

In the drawings above described, a'represents the usual casing or standard for the reception of mechanism for operating a gate, semaphore, or signal. I will first describe the same as applied to a railway-crossing gate. Journaled in suitable bearings in said casing, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is a shaft 1), to which is rigidly attached the usual counterpoised gate-bar o. Rigidly'attached to the shaft 1) is an arm d, which is connected by means of a link d to a cross-bar e, pivoted at its middle either to a stationary point upon the casing, as shown in Fig. 9, or to a movable barf, which latter is pivoted at f to the casing. Said bar 6 is provided with a series of holes e to allow for proper adjustment of the link (1'. I prefer to pivot the cross-bar e to the suspended bar f, as it enables the device to be more easily operated. The barf is free to swing upon its point of suspension, its movement being limited by means of studs f f at or near the lower end; Upon the bar f is preferably pivoted at g a triangular metal plate g, the lower end of which is free to move in guides formed by notched studs g 9, (better shown in Fig. 4,) which are rig- Levers h h are pivoted to thecasing at h h and connected at a point about midway between their ends with the lower portion of the plate g by means of links h 72, the free ends of said levers being connected, respectively, with the bar 6 upon opposite sides of its pivotal point by means of spiral springs i 1 To the lower end of the bar f are attached one or more rods f f, which may be connected with a bridge, railway-track, or other structure to be guarded, or with a signal-station, from whence it may be operated in any well-known way.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the bar f connected with trippers j j, pivoted to the railway-track so as to move in opposite directions, with 1e vcrs f" f interposed to insure the necessary movement, while in Fig. 7 I have shown the same connected with a hand-lever 7:, located at or near a signal-station. In the latter case I prefer to employ two rods f f with the interposed lever f extending above and below its pivotal point, the rods being connected therewith, as shown.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: Assuming the gate or semaphore c to be in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, the reversal of the bar F, by means of a lever or tripping mechanism, reverses the relative position of the levers 7t, placing one spring 1' under tension, as shown in said figure, and permitting the other to recoil, thus tilting the bar 6, and with it the arm (Z, which actuates the gate. It requires but a nominal power to move the bar f, and as it is not necessary to take into accountthe inertia of the gate said movement may be very sudden, the inertia of the gate being overcome by means of the springs 't' 'i, which serve to cushion the gate movement both at the beginning and close, the gate being at rest either in a vertical or horizontal position only when the springs t '2 have reached an equal tension, as indicated in Fig. 1, which, with Fig. 3, is intended to represent the relative condition of the springs immediately before and after the movement of the barf. In the former the gate is shown as being in anormal position, and in the latter the barf is shown in the extreme reverse position, one of the springs t' under tension, and the gate in the act of moving from its normal or open position to that indicated in dotted lines, to which it is drawn by the recoil of the spring 6. This feature is of the utmost importance, as it has been found that in operating gates by means of a tripper worked by the passage thereover of the carwheels it is impracticable to apply a positive force, the strain being so great as to break the rods. To overcome this ditliculty a ratchet mechanism has been interposed between the tripper and the gate; but even this becomes broken in a short time by the severe duty imposed upon it.

I do not confine myself to the use of the plate g and levers 7t connected therewith, as it is practicable in operating the gate or semaphore by hand to connect the operatinglever directly to the springs i 2', as shown in Fig. 9, in which case the cushioning effect of said springs is retained.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified con struction, in which the plate g is omitted, the

bar f is widened near its lower end, and a curved slot g is formed therein, which is intended to engage with pins upon the back of the levers 71 71, so that: upon the vibration of the barf one of the levers 72. raised and the other lowered.

In Fig. 5 I have shown amodilled construction, in which a semaphore is employed in lieu of a gate, the former being supported upon a vertical standard It is obvious that the plate g, with the suspended bar f, constitutes in effect a double toggle-joint adapted to operate in either direction, according as the movement of the bar f changes the relative points of bearing, and that the movement and effect would be the same if the two laterally-diverging arms of the party were independent and pivoted separatelyat g" and the cross-piece at the base of the triangle were left off, my intention being to amplify the principle shown in my Letters Patent No. 30,705, dated June 24, 1890, in which a single toggle-joint is employed to operate a semaphore in one direction only. The two arms It may also be placed where the pieces g are shown in the drawings and the links h left off, the coiled springs i extending downward to connect with the levers 7!, all of which modified features are shown in Fig. 10, in which g indicate the bars substituted in lieu of the plate g. The force required to operate the bar f is very slight, while the power exerted by the movement of said bar is very great.

The main advantage of my improvement is that the barf may be moved with the utmost speed, while the resulting movement of the semaphore may be correspondingly slow.

Having thus described my invention, 1' claim- 1. The combination, with a semaphore or gate, of a pivoted cross-bar in operative connection with the semaphore, spiral springs connected with said pivotal bar upon opposite sides of its pivotal point, and means for increasing the tension upon one and releas ing it upon the other of said springs byasingle impulse, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a semaphore or gate, of a double-acting toggle joint, doubleacting springs in operative connection therewith and with the semaphore, and means for reversing the position of said toggle-joint, whereby a gate or semaphore may be actuated by a simple impulse and its movement cushioned in both directions, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with a semaphore or gate, of a pivoted cross-bar in operative conncetion with said semaphore, spiral springs upon opposite sides of its pivotal point, levers pivoted to a' stationary support and having their free ends attached to said springs, and means for actuating said levers in opposite directions, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with a semaphore or gate, of a cross-bar pivoted upon a verticallysuspended bar, a plate having its upper end also pivoted to said suspended bar and extended laterally therefrom at its base, loose guides for preventing said base from moving laterally, springs connected with said cross bar upon opposite sides of its pivotal point, levers pivoted to a stationary support and having their free ends attached to said springs,

means for connecting said levers to the base.

of said plate at or near the respective ends of its lateralextensions, and means for vibrating said vertically-suspended bar, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, with a semaphore or gate, of a cross-bar pivoted upon a verticallysuspended bar, means for connecting thelower end of said suspended bar to a tripper upon a railway-track located in operative proximity to the wheels of a passing train, a plate having one end pivoted to said suspended bar and extended laterally therefrom in both directions at the other, loose guides for preventing the lateral movement of said unpivoted end, springs connected with said cross-bar upon opposite sides of its pivotal point, levers pivoted to a stationary support and having their free ends attached to said springs, and

means for connecting said levers to the unpivoted end of said plate at or near its laterally-extended ends, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, with a semaphore or gate, of a double-acting toggle-joint, double springs in operative connection therewith and with the semaphore, and trippers arrangedto work in opposite directions, both being placed in operative connection with the wheels of a passing train and with said toggle-joint, whereby a gate or semaphore may be actuated in one direction by the approach and in the other by the final passage of a train, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 16th day of April, 1890.

JAMES W. STEELE.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, J. HALPENNY. 

